The invention disclosed here is related generally to systems for electronic commerce in which delivery of goods is made to a storage device and later picked up by the customer. More specifically, the invention relates to an electronic commerce system in which delivery of goods is made to an automatic drive-up storage device, and to the use of handheld devices that aid in placing, modifying, checking the status of, and picking up orders for such goods.
A significant problem with the electronic commerce system such as practiced using the Internet and World Wide Web is the difficulty in economically delivering physical goods that have been ordered. A variety of approaches have been tried in an attempt to solve this problem. While the use of traditional delivery services such as United Parcel Service and Federal Express have been common, their use has resulted in limited success. One major problem is that in the present world in which most members of a household work during the day, people are often not home to receive an order. This is a nuisance for the customer and, because of the need for redelivery (or running the risk of leaving a package on a doorstep, risking theft), significantly increases costs for the delivery service. A second problem is that except in certain very dense metropolitan areas (Manhattan, to a lesser extent San Francisco), the density of deliveries is such that it is time-consuming and costly to deliver to residential, as opposed to business, customers. Webvan, a specialized Web delivery service, allowed users make use of the Web to not only place orders but to schedule deliveries within a tight window of time, which reduced the xe2x80x9ccustomer not homexe2x80x9d problem. However, Webvan, even with highly automated warehouse operations to reduce costs, could still not solve the cost problems and has now ceased operations.
Another solution that has been tried is the use of a locker owned or rented by the customer installed at their premises. However, this is costly and still does not address the problem of low density of deliveries. What is needed is an approach that can address this latter cost problem.
The goal of the invention disclosed here is to provide a method and apparatus for the order and delivery of goods in which the goods are transported to one or more storage containers that are maintained in a drive-up storage, retrieval, and dispensing mechanism. Goods are ordered via the Internet, telephone, or other electronic method, retrieved from a warehouse or store, and transported to the storage container typically by truck or by a regional train system designed for passenger use.
The drive-up storage device is typically installed in or near a parking lot or similar area, and particularly near a station of a train system. The storage container accepts packages, which are placed into a plastic storage box and moved by an elevator assembly to a particular storage-bin located in a matrix of bins arranged in columns and rows.
When a customer arrives to pick up a package, he or she drives up to the device and communicates with the system via a keypad and display screen to identify the order and present appropriate identification of the person or other means of maintaining security. A computer verifies the identification and retrieves the storage box, presenting it, if the package is of an appropriate size and weight, to the window of the vehicle driving up at an appropriate height so that the customer can retrieve the package. If the package is too large or heavy for delivery in this manner, the customer is asked to move his vehicle so that the package can be delivered to the customer on foot for placement in the vehicle.
This invention is particularly suitable for use by an individual who makes use of a wireless handheld communications device to aid in the order and delivery coordination. With such a device, a customer can not only place an order, but can negotiate for the best location for delivery, can check the status of the order (when is it expected to be delivered, has it been delivered?), perhaps even being paged when the order is ready. The device might also allow modification of the order, should the store be out of stock or if the customer has further thoughts about the desired order. In addition, the device can provide the user with directions for how to find the delivery location. Finally, the device can help the customer easily pick up the order, by indicating to the system that the customer has arrived and, in a secure fashion, is in fact the person legitimately allowed to pick up the order. Finally, the device can help the customer retrieve the order by determining whether it is appropriate to simply obtain it from a window dispensing station through the open window of a car door (adjusting the height of the dispensing window if necessary) or whether the order is sufficiently heavy that it is better picked up by hand and then loaded into the vehicle.